Building Excellence

#286: Eliud Villarreal is an Oklahoma entrepreneur and the founder of Exotic Motorsports of Oklahoma, a premier exotic and luxury automotive dealership based in Edmond, Oklahoma.  Born and raised in the Oklahoma City area, Villarreal built his career in the automotive industry before taking an entrepreneurial leap in 2018 to launch his own business. Driven by a passion for high-performance vehicle...

#285: Coach Jim Larrañaga is a veteran college basketball coach who built a remarkable career defined by leadership, perseverance, and the ability to elevate programs beyond expectations. In 2006, he led George Mason University on an unforgettable run to the NCAA Final Four, defeating several of the nation’s top teams and establishing one of the most memorable underdog stories in sports history. H...

#284: Brandon Boyd is a longtime collegiate ministry leader with Cru at Oklahoma State University, an author, husband, father, and passionate follower of Jesus Christ. For nearly three decades, he has devoted his life to helping college students grow in their faith and discover the joy of following Christ. Brandon and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Ethan and Ben. Their journey as parents, part...

Coach Brad Soucie is a veteran college basketball coach whose career spans decades of experience at the highest levels of collegiate basketball. He has worked alongside respected coaches, including Tony Bennett at the University of Virginia and Ritchie McKay at Liberty University, where he has contributed to player development, program building, and team culture. As a former college player at East...

#282: Mayor Yemi Mobolade is the 42nd Mayor of Colorado Springs and a Nigerian immigrant whose remarkable journey to public leadership began with entrepreneurship, faith, community development, and a deep commitment to serving others.  After moving to Colorado Springs in 2010, Yemi founded a church, co-founded multiple businesses and community organizations, served in economic development and city...

#281: Greg Sands is the longtime head coach of Texas Tech Men’s Golf and one of the most accomplished coaches in collegiate golf.  Since taking over the Red Raiders program in 2001, Sands has transformed Texas Tech into a perennial national contender, leading the program to 27 team tournament titles, 33 individual tournament victories, 27 NCAA Regional appearances, and 17 NCAA Championship appeara...

#280: As the co-founder and CEO of Vari®, Jason McCann’s mission is to help companies create environments that elevate people, cultures, and communities.  A lifelong entrepreneur, Jason has more than 30 years of experience building and running successful companies. He learned the importance of putting the customer first early-on while working in his mother’s hair salons as a child.   Jason co-foun...

#279: Hal Donaldson is the president and CEO of Convoy of Hope, a global, faith-based, nonprofit organization that works with communities to address root causes of poverty and hunger. According to Forbes, Convoy of Hope is among the 50 largest charities in the United States. Through its disaster responses and community development programs, Convoy has distributed more than $2.5 billion worth of fo...

#277: Scott Spiezio is a two-time World Series champion and former Major League Baseball player who spent 12 seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals. He is the only father-son duo to win a World Series ring with the same organization (St. Louis Cardinals). An All-American at the University of Illinois and the school’s career home run leader, Sp...

#276: Arun Gupta is a venture capitalist, educator, author, and mission-driven leader who has spent more than two decades operating at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, national security, and public service. He is the CEO of NobleReach Foundation and previously spent 18 years as a Partner at Columbia Capital, where he helped lead investments in cybersecurity, AI, government technol...

#275: Daniel Coyle is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and journalist whose work focuses on how individuals and teams develop excellence, build strong cultures, and reach their full potential. He is the author of The Culture Code , The Talent Code , and The Little Book of Talent , and has studied some of the world’s highest-performing organizations, including Navy SEALs, the San Anton...

#274: Captain Mark Brouker, United States Navy (Retired), is a thought leader, keynote speaker, professor, coach, consultant, facilitator, pharmacist, and proven leader who is passionate about helping others on their leadership journey. He has more than twenty-five years of leadership experience, fifteen of which were in C-suite-level positions. The recipient of numerous military and civilian lead...

#273: Steve Scalzi is an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons and now the Head Coach of the Motor City Cruise. He brings extensive experience in coaching, player development, leadership, and team building at the highest levels of basketball.  Throughout his career, Scalzi has worked within highly competitive collegiate and professional environments, developing a deep understanding of what it t...

#272: Ann Rhoades is the founder and president of People Ink, an organizational culture consulting firm focused on helping companies build values-driven, high-performing cultures. A recognized expert in leadership, employee engagement, and customer service excellence, Ann has spent her career helping organizations create workplaces where people thrive and businesses succeed. Prior to founding Peop...

#271: Dr. Henry Cloud is an acclaimed leadership expert, clinical psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and highly sought-after speaker. He has authored 46 books, including the iconic Boundaries , which have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Dr. Cloud has extensive experience working with CEOs, executives, and leadership teams, helping organizations improve leadership performa...

5 Years of the Building Excellence Podcast - Thank YOU!

#270: Eric Konkol is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Tulsa and has established himself as one of college basketball's most respected program builders. He most recently lead the Golden Hurricane to one of their best seasons in program history winning 30 games (second most in school history), reaching the American Conference semifinals for the first time in over a deca...

#269: Andy Andrews is a New York Times bestselling author, internationally recognized speaker, and leadership expert whose books, including The Traveler's Gift and The Noticer, have sold millions of copies worldwide.  Known for blending timeless wisdom with engaging storytelling, Andy has spoken to Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, military organizations, and audiences around...

#268: Justin Roethlingshoefer is a performance scientist, former NHL strength and conditioning coach, and the founder of OWN IT—an elite health coaching ecosystem trusted by Stanley Cup champions, Olympians, and mission driven leaders such as Brandon Lake & Phil Wickham.  His life’s work lives at the intersection of data-driven performance and Spirit-led transformation. Holy Health is the most...

#267: Mark Miller is a bestselling leadership author, speaker, and the co-founder of Lead Every Day. His books have sold more than 1.5 million copies in 32 languages. Mark’s career at Chick-fil-A spans over 40 years, starting as an hourly team member and becoming the company’s 16th corporate employee. He recently retired as Vice President of High-Performance Leadership, where he was instrumental i...

#266: Austen Allred is a technology entrepreneur, education innovator, and Y Combinator founder whose work has influenced the national conversation around workforce development, skills-based hiring, and alternative pathways to technology careers. He is the founder and CEO of Gauntlet AI an intensive AI engineering talent platform that partners with employers to identify and develop elite AI-native...

#265: Lieutenant General (Retired) Mark Hertling served 38 years in the United States Army as a tanker and cavalry officer, culminating as Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army.  During his military career, Hertling spent 38 months in combat. He served as a major and operations officer of a cavalry squadron during Operation Desert Storm, as Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Armored...

#264: Chris Garner is a veteran SEC football official, leadership speaker, and author with more than two decades of experience officiating at the highest levels of college football. A graduate of The Ohio State University and former U.S. Navy servicemember, Chris worked his way from Ohio high school football fields to the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference, earning assignments to major bowl g...

#263: Jason Jacobus is the Chief Commercial Officer of Brainerd Chemical , where he leads commercial strategy and growth for one of the country’s established chemical manufacturing and distribution companies. With decades of experience in sales, operations, and leadership, he has built a reputation for combining business performance with long-term relationships, operational discipline, and values-...

#262: Samyr Qureshi is an entrepreneur, investor, and business leader best known as the co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Knack, a nationally recognized education technology company focused on advancing student success through peer learning. Under his leadership, Knack partnered with universities across the United States and raised significant venture capital to support its growth a...